Sacramento State springs into its annual Festival of the Arts event next week with entertainment for anyone in the community with a passion for fine art, design, music, literature, theater and dance.

The festival, presented by the School of the Arts, will run April 13 through 16, but additional events will take place throughout the month of April.

This year, the festival will kick off with the theater and dance departments showing “The Wiz,” a soul version of “The Wizard of Oz.”

The director, professor Melinda Ramey, said in a statement that “The Wiz” will be a never-before-seen version of the play. The show will run Friday through April 24.

This year’s festival also includes a variety of activities and exhibitions, from music concerts and performances to readings, lectures and workshops. 

The festival is meant to engage students in the Sac State community, said Ernie Hills, Sac State music department chair.

“The Festival of Arts is a great opportunity for the community and its students to interact and enjoy the different art forms that our students and faculty have put much effort into creating,” Hills said.

Hills said he looks forward to the events in which student ensembles and faculty, especially Robin Fisher, will perform. He is also looking forward to hearing music from saxophonist Donny McCaslin and guest pianist Adam Neiman.

Elaine O’Brien, art history professor, said the art department is allotted extra funding every year to bring well-noted artists to the Festival of the Arts. 

O’Brien said she hopes the events presented will enlighten students to the revolving world of art. 

“The festival is designed to expose students to the different kinds of art forms,” she said. “Also, students should not only enjoy the great artwork, but should also be inspired by other artists who have achieved so much.”

Hills said Sac State has been putting on the Festival of the Arts event for several years. It is always the art department’s main attraction of the semester. 

For a full listing of Festival of the Arts events, visit www.al.csus.edu/festival/.